Cheers erupted from the direction of the cement kiln.
Chu Guang walked over to see Fang Chang and Lao Bai piling light-gray powder on the ground, mixing it with water and sand to form a sludgy paste.
At a glance, this batch of cement was about 20 kilograms.
Since it was a test firing, they hadn't produced much. Judging by the kiln's feed opening, half a ton a day should be feasible. While not as efficient as professional equipment, it would suffice.
"Honorable Overseer!"
Noticing Chu Guang's approach, the two players dropped their tools and eagerly came forward.
"Cement!"
"We finally managed to create portland cement!"
It had been no small feat.
To reach the kiln's required temperature of 1450°C, they'd practically worked themselves to the bone, frantically cranking the blower and shoveling in coal until their arms were sore.
Especially Lao Bai, whose strength-based gene sequence had him close to leveling up after these three grueling days.
"You've done exceptionally well."
Chu Guang looked at them with approval, nodding as he spoke.
"With this cement, we're a step closer to our Phase One plans. The shelter will remember your contributions, and each of you will receive a reward of 1,000 contribution points!"
Smiles spread across their faces, their hard work rewarded.
Unbeknownst to them, however, the NPC and schemer before them was already contemplating how to recoup this "currency" he had issued.
Too rapid inflation would be detrimental to game longevity.
Perhaps… a gacha function?
One pull for 1,000 contribution points?
Not a bad idea.
As Chu Guang pondered the best approach, Fang Chang and Lao Bai exchanged glances, respectfully addressing him.
"Overseer, there's something we need to report."
"Go ahead."
"With the cement successfully produced, we'll need more hands to start constructing the outpost."
Chu Guang looked at the two of them.
"How many do you need?"
Lao Bai jumped in eagerly.
"At least ten! The more, the better! The kiln requires manual bellows for firing, and two people on shifts can operate one kiln, but we're planning a second one. That's four people right there! Transporting stones requires at least four, and building the walls and houses will need at least eight more."
Chu Guang did a quick calculation.
Wouldn't that mean sixteen people?
The current stock of food at the outpost could feed seven people, including himself, for a week. A sudden tripling in population would strain logistics.
After a moment's hesitation, Chu Guang made a decision to take the risk.
It was already the 9th. With September nearly a third gone, if they didn't push hard, it would be challenging to complete the outpost before winter.
"Understood," he said, nodding at the two players.
"I'll request reinforcements. In three days, a new batch of members will awaken from hibernation and join us on the surface."
At his words, Fang Chang and Lao Bai's faces lit up.
With newcomers joining, their construction project would become much easier!
Not only that, but Fang Chang's suspicions were confirmed.
This NPC was clearly more than a simple character—he even held influence over the game's alpha test process.
It reminded Fang Chang of the fantastical setups in early online novels.
[Running on an infinitely powerful supercomputer, the game world was crafted by the developers, yet all content was dynamically generated by AI.]
Perhaps Wasteland OL was truly of that kind!
Fang Chang grew more excited the more he thought about it.
He felt like he'd figured something out.
…
With the arrival of carpenters and cooks, the players' work conditions and quality of life visibly improved.
Thanks to [Mosquito Really Exists in the WC], Lao Bai and Fang Chang's construction crew now had molds for making mud bricks and even helped Kuang Feng and Ye Shi upgrade their fish traps.
They even used tree stumps to make a wooden toilet seat that didn't cut into the skin.
Now they could finally sit in comfort.
Not everyone, however, took a liking to this new toilet seat.
Kuang Feng, for instance.
The guy seemed to have a touch of cleanliness obsession and refused to use the shared seat even in the game. Resolutely, he dug a new pit by the original toilet and set up a modest privacy screen.
Thanks to him, the outpost now boasted a second latrine.
But of greater significance than these small improvements was Kuang Feng and Ye Shi's fishing project.
With their improved traps, they finally caught their first fish by evening—a big one, at that!
From the look of it, it seemed like a catfish.
"Seemed," because its thick lips and outsized head were uncanny, its deep-blue body patterned with white spots, and its whiskers adorned with coral-like red frills.
Clearly, it was a mutated variety.
Watching the hefty creature struggle to escape the trap, Kuang Feng and Ye Shi were on the verge of tears with excitement, entirely unconcerned about its ugly appearance.
Three days!
Three whole days!
At last, they had caught one!
Hurrying before the great birds circling above or the beasts on the shore noticed, they dragged the creature, trap and all, onto dry land and bludgeoned it mercilessly with iron rods until it lay still.
Once it was well and truly dead, they tied its head and tail to a steel rod, hoisting it back to the outpost.
"Fried Egg Brother, can you tell if this thing is edible?"
"What the…? What is that thing?"
Fried Egg, busy constructing a fish-smoking rack, stared wide-eyed at the catfish on the ground.
In all his years of cooking, he'd never seen a catfish so massive.
Its head alone could fill a basin.
Would other fish even stand a chance against it in that lake?
Catfish were carnivorous, after all!
"It looks like a catfish," Kuang Feng offered.
"No kidding, I know it's a catfish," Fried Egg crouched down to examine its lips, tugging a bit as he clicked his tongue. "Holy… must be over a hundred pounds!"
Ye Shi quickly asked, "Can we use it for smoked fish?"
"Who the heck uses catfish for smoked fish…" Fried Egg sighed, "The thing's thick with fat, and the surface has a mucous layer. Dehydrating it could be a pain."
"What do we do, then?" Kuang Feng asked.
"I've never tried it… let's give it a shot," Fried Egg said, looking at his half-finished smoking rack with a sigh.
With a hundred-pound fish, the rack would collapse for sure.
Guess he'd have to start over…
…
At dusk, Fried Egg took over as the overseer's stand-in cook and brewed a pot of fish head soup, proving through practical means that the fish was indeed edible.
It even tasted unexpectedly good.
Though they lacked tofu, scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to mask any fishy odor, Fried Egg relied on his seasoned cooking skills, using only salt and soy sauce, to make a pot of surprisingly savory, non-greasy soup.
The players ate with tears in their eyes.
Fried Egg and Mosquito were delighted to experience the game's flavor system, while the other four were moved simply to have a real meal at last.
Sniff… it had been such a struggle…
Logging off at six in-game, they returned to the real world at six in the morning.
As the beta players exited the game, the group chat on Penguin exploded with notifications.
Quit Smoking: **"Guys! Check the website!"**
Arrogant Grandfather: **"You're still clinging on…"**
Stay Your Hand: **"What's going on with the website?"**
Quit Smoking: **"Major update in alpha 0.2! The website is releasing 24 more test slots! The beta player count will increase to 30!"**
Stay Your Hand: **"Whoa!"**
Arrogant Grandfather: **"Heh, they're prepping to milk us for cash. How much is it? Let's see if it's worth a trip to the police station. (picks nose)"**
Quit Smoking: **"Shouldn't be charging! I didn't see any mention of fees in the announcement. Ha, I refuse to believe I won't make the list this time!"**
Trash Collecting Lv. 99: **"You're being optimistic. Registrations passed a hundred ages ago. Twenty-four slots… you're looking at a one-in-five or one-in-four chance."**
Quit Smoking: **"Over a hundred?! No way we have that many active members here."**
Trash Collecting Lv. 99: **"Well… not all of them are from this group. I saw other game forums talking about it last night."**
Stay Your Hand: **"This game's really gone mainstream, huh?" (shocked face)**
4WhoUnderstandsLove: **"Yeah, I just checked. Registrations hit 111."**
Quit Smoking: **"Damn!"**